Pyridyl amines have been used to prepare Group 4 complexes which are useful transition metal components in the polymerization of alkenes, see, for example, US 2002/0142912; U.S. Pat. No. 6,900,321; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,103,657; where the ligands have been used in complexes in which the ligands are coordinated in a bidentate fashion to the transition metal atom.
WO 2005/095469 shows catalyst compounds that use tridentate ligands through two nitrogen atoms (one amido and one pyridyl) and one oxygen atom.
US 2004/0220050A1 and WO 2007/067965 disclose complexes in which the ligand is coordinated in a tridentate fashion through two nitrogen (one amido and one pyridyl) and one carbon (aryl anion) donors.
A key step in the activation of these complexes is the insertion of an alkene into the metal-aryl bond of the catalyst precursor (Froese, R. D. J. et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2007, 129, pp. 7831-7840) to form an active catalyst that has both a five-membered and a seven-membered chelate ring.
WO 2010/037059 discloses pyridine containing amines for use in pharmaceutical applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,158,733 describes catalyst compositions featuring 2-(2-aryloxy)-8-anilinoquinoline, 2,8-bis(2-aryloxy)quinoline, and 2,8-bis(2-aryloxy)dihydroquinoline ligands that do not feature a tridentate NNN donor ligand.
US 2012/0016092 describes catalyst compositions containing 2-imino-8-anilinoquinoline and 2-aminoalkyl-8-anilinoquinoline ligands having a one-atom linker between the quinoline and the nitrogen donor at the 2-position of the quinoline ring.
Organometallics, 2012, 31, p. 3241 by Hu et al. describes catalyst compositions containing 2-aminoalkyl-8-quinolinolato ligands that do not feature a tridentate NNN donor ligand.
Organometallics, 2013, 32, p. 2685 by Nifant'ev et al. describes catalyst compositions containing 2,8-bis(2-aryloxy)dihydroquinoline ligands that do not feature a tridentate NNN donor ligand.
Dalton Transactions, 2013, 42, p. 1501 by Nifant'ev et al. describes catalyst compositions containing 2-aryl-8-arylaminoquinoline ligands that do not feature a tridentate NNN donor ligand.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,858,718 describes catalyst compositions containing 2-aryl-8-anilinoquinoline ligands that do not feature a tridentate NNN donor ligand.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,973,116 describes catalyst compositions containing pyridyldiamide ligands, e.g., a pyridine-based ligand not a quinoline-based ligand.
There still is need for new catalyst compounds to widen the range of catalyst complexes available for superior performance in alkene polymerization. The performance may be varied with respect to the amount of polymer produced per amount of catalyst (generally referred to as the “activity”) under the prevailing polymerization conditions; the molecular weight and molecular weight distribution achieved at a given temperature; and/or the placement of higher alpha-olefins in terms of the degree of stereoregular placement.
Further, there is a need in the art for new catalysts with high activity that can produce highly crystalline tactic (such as isotactic) propylene polymers.